Switching your pet from dry food to a raw diet:

Although, each animal is uniquely different the general rule for making the transition depends on two things; if you pet has had wet/raw food or only dry food.

Adult Pets: If your pet is familiar with raw food and already has a healthy mix of dry and wet food the transition should be flawless. Depending on how much dry food you have left either feed dry food in the morning and raw food in the evening. You do not want to blend the two because dry food can sit out longer then raw food. If you know your pet will eat the entire amount in one sitting, then feel free to combined both.

If your pet has never had raw food, do not switch from dry to raw without a transitional period. Take about two weeks to make the switch. You do not want to shock their digestive system. You may experience them regurgitating the food. However, most likely they will clean up their own mess which, will assist in the transition.

Puppies/Kittens: Puppies or kittens should be able to handle the switch with ease and can either go cold turkey or transitioning dry with wet for about a week. Regardless of how you choose to transition you will still see a difference in their stool for the first couple of days. Do not be alarmed, this is normal at any age of your pet.

Senior Dogs: For older dogs that have been fed commercial foods most of their lives, adding a probiotic and digestive enzymes to their new food can help ease the transition to their new diet.

What to Expect After Switching:

After switching your dog or cat to raw, you should notice a decrease in water consumption because the raw food contains a large amount of moisture that they can easily be utilized. Continue making fresh water available at all times.

You will likely notice changes in their stool almost immediately. The increased water content in the meat and vegetables may make the stools softer than usual. You will also notice that your animals stools are smaller and less frequent. It should be noted that when feeding bones such as chicken backs and necks or whole Cornish hen the stool can be a very firm consistency.

Will raw food cause my pet to be aggressive?

Raw food does not cause your animal to be aggressive or desire the taste of blood. An animals personality is a chemical makeup not due to a nutritional diet. There have been rumors that people who dog fight have their animals on raw food because it makes them more aggressive, this is not the case. Animals on raw food have less toxins in their body and perform better from an athletic stand point but by any means it does not cause them to be more aggressive. The trainer and environment for which an animal is accustomed to may play an important roll in the behavior of an animal but not their diet.

Should a person cook food for their dog or cat?

Raw Pawz strongly recommends feeding pets a raw diet, if possible. Some dogs and cats may have health conditions that prevent them from being able to handle raw foods, in which case a home cooked diet may be their best option. However, for the majority of healthy dogs, cooking is not necessary and should be avoided. The cooking process destroys or chemically alters many of the live enzymes, amino acids, and essential fatty acids found in raw meats that could otherwise be utilized to promote good health. Furthermore, cooking can deplete the food of some vitamins and minerals and make the food harder to digest.If you have to cook:

If a person does choose to cook, they shouldn’t cook any poultry meals that contain bones. Cooked bones can splinter and form sharp edges that can cause serious damage to the digestive tract. Supplement any cooked diet with a natural-source mineral and vitamin supplements to insure proper nutrition and calcium/phosphorus ratio.

Detoxification:

Detoxification is a natural process in which the body releases toxins through the exterior of the body as a way of cleansing internal organs and tissue. Some dogs and cats may go through a period of detoxification, where their system clears the toxins accumulated from their former diet. During this period they may experience some loose or mucous stool, runny eyes, and excretions through their ears. In some cases, they may lose some of their coat – to make room for a healthier new one; all of these are positive signs that the body is ridding itself of toxins. Each detox period should last for a few days, after which your dog or cat should look and feel much better. If symptoms persist for more than a few days, please contact your vet and have them checked over for other medical problems.

Raw Food Shelf Life:

Once thawed, raw food should be refrigerated when not being fed and should be used within two days. Do not leave raw food out in your pet’s bowl for more than 15 minutes. Pet do not graze on raw food and any food that has not been consumed within that time should be refrigerated for their next meal.